Friday, December 12, 2008

Thoughts on a slow December day

What do you guys think of this? This philosophy professor at Berkeley talks about embodied consciousness -- how our perceptions and agency are intrinsically linked to our bodies and the world around us. But it seems to me that even with a phenomenon like phantom limb pain being helped by a mirror box where you can see your phantom limb unclench, it's still just another form of sensory input to your brain, just visual instead of somatosensory. Even physical reflexes that occur without consulting with your brain first are in a sense just mechanical reactions. Then, later on you get the signal to your brain that your leg kicked after your knee got hammered, and you go "ohhh, my leg kicked." Does that really imply your knee being part of your consciousness?

I dunno, what do you think? Is this an exercise in philosophy that eventually just breaks down into semantics?

ALSO:
My favorite albums/music I've discovered in 2008 (not necessarily released in 2008), in order of number scratches on the burned CDs I listen to on my half-broken discman on the subway:

1.) Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
2.) TV on the Radio - Dear Science
3.) Sigur Ros - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
4.) Efterklang - Tripper
5.) Beach House - Devotion
6.) Portishead - Third
7.) Boards of Canada - The Campfire Headphase
8.) Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Vol. 1
9.) Beck - Modern Guilt
10.) Joan as Police Woman - Real Life
11.) John Fahey - entire discography
12.) Bibio - Fi
13.) Supersilent - 6
14.) Clutch - Clutch
15.) Gorillaz - D-Sides

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